Final Damage Assessment Report For Parkersburg Tornado

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
430 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008
...FINAL DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FOR BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES...
......
THE FOLLOWING IS A FINAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED OVER
BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES ON MAY 25TH.
* EVENT DATE: MAY 25TH
* ESTIMATED START TIME: 4:48 PM CDT
* EVENT TYPE: LOW END EF5 IN PORTIONS OF PARKERSBURG AND NORTH OF NEW
HARTFORD
* EVENT LOCATION: 2 MILES S APLINGTON TO PARKERSBURG TO NEW
HARTFORD AND ACROSS NORTHERN BLACK HAWK COUNTY.
* PEAK WIND: MAXIMUM WINDS OF 205 MPH
* AVERAGE PATH WIDTH: PATH WIDTH RANGED FROM 0.6 TO 0.7 MILES NEAR
PARKERSBURG TO JUST NORTH OF NEW HARTFORD. THE PATH WIDTH CONSTRICTED
TO NEAR ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE EAST OF NEW HARTFORD TO NORTH OF
WATERLOO. PATH WIDTH INCREASED TO NEAR 1.2 MILES WIDE NORTH OF
DUNKERTON BEFORE DISSIPATING NEAR THE BLACK HAWK AND BUCHANAN
COUNTY LINE.
* PATH LENGTH: 43 MILES
* INJURIES: PRELIMINARY 70
* FATALITIES: PRELIMINARY 6
* DISCUSSION/DAMAGE: SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN END OF PARKERSBURG AND ALONG A PATH TO JUST NORTH
OF NEW HARTFORD. NUMEROUS STRUCTURES COMPLETELY DESTROYED FROM
PARKERSBURG TO NEAR NEW HARTFORD. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EASTWARD
TO JUST NORTH OF THE WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS AREA. SIGNIFICANT
DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED NORTH OF DUNKERTON WHERE THE TORNADO
INCREASED TO ITS GREATEST PATH WIDTH. ADDITIONAL EF2 TO EF3 DAMAGE
OCCURED NORTHEAST OF DUNKERTON BEFORE THE TORNADO LIFTED SHORTLY
BEFORE MOVING INTO BUCHANAN COUNTY. THIS STORM ALSO PRODUCED
SUBSTANTIAL STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE ALONG THE SOUTHERN
PERIPHERY OF THE STORM JUST SOUTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK.
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES THAT STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 90 TO 100 MPH
OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM. AT 537 PM CDT THE WATERLOO AIRPORT
RECORDED A 93 MPH WIND GUST. INITIAL SURVEY RESULTS SUGGEST THAT
STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WAS THE CAUSE OF THE SEVERE DAMAGE AT
THE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE DEALERSHIP NORTH OF CEDAR FALLS.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDING IMAGES...APPROXIMATE STORM
TRACK...RADAR DATA...AND PRELIMINARY TIME LINE ARE AVAILABLE AT
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES WEBSITE AT:

WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/DMX
&&
FOR REFERENCE...THE FUJITA TORNADO SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO
THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.
DONAVON/KINNEY